


polished silver

by electricangel



Category: Infinity Train
Genre: Arguing, Confessions, Cuddling, Established Relationship, First Kiss, Flirting, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Hurt/Comfort, Misgendering, Mutual Pining, Neopronouns, Nonbinary Lake, OC, Other, Pining, S/H - Freeform, Slow Burn, Swearing, Transphobia, awkward cuddling, heart to heart, idk how metal works lmao, jesse and lake have a huge fight at one point so be aware of that, kinda a character study idk, lake and jesse are both bi because i said so, often factually inaccurate, slightly OOC sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-10
Updated: 2020-11-10
Packaged: 2021-03-09 18:20:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,702
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27500668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/electricangel/pseuds/electricangel
Summary: jesse teaches lake about the wonders of life off the train.disclaimer: jesse and lake are NOT adopted siblings. please don’t interpret them in that way.
Relationships: Jesse/Lake, Jesse/Mirror Tulip, Lake/Jesse, Mirror Tulip/Jesse
Comments: 3
Kudos: 15





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> warning: swearing, minor s/h , transphobia 
> 
> (lake is non-binary)
> 
> i also like to imagine that jesse and lake escaped the train around summer (august) and since five months have passed in this fic, it’s around december!! :)

it was a sunday afternoon. lake sat reading thoughtfully at the dinner table, smiling as they listened to the sound of jesse’s laughter from his room.

it had been 5 months since they got off the train. lake was learning new things every day, including differentiating pronouns and identities.

when they first arrived in jesse’s town, he taught them about pronouns. he explained they/them pronouns to them, which they took a liking to.

“so... what are your pronouns?” he had asked at last.

“well.. tulip went by she/ her. i was always uncomfortable being referred to as that.. it made it feel like i was even more of her copy.” they replied.

“so.. he/him?” jesse asked.

lake shook their head. “i think i’m non-binary.”

jesse had smiled widely, happy to have helped.

“hey lake!!” they heard suddenly. jumping, startled, they saw jesse looming over them.

“JESSE!!” lake snapped, flicking his forehead. “you scared the shit out of me!”

“ow!! sorry. i just wanted to know if you were hungry.”

they paused, and suddenly, a loud rumble could be heard from their stomach.

“yeah. i guess i am.”

he chuckled. “i’ll make you some food then.”

“feel free, casanova.” they replied, leaning back to continue reading.

“so.. what are you reading?” jesse asked, grabbing the supplies he needed to make them food.

“shakespeare.”

jesse suppressed a laugh.

“i didn’t know you were into that sort of thing.”

they shrugged. “i’m not. it sucks”.

jesse released his laugh. “so why read it, then?”

“i have nothing to else to read.”

“i have plenty of books, lake. what are you into?”

“uhhh...” they leaned forwards, tapping their chin thoughtfully. something jesse rarely saw.

“mystery novels, i guess? ones without cops.” 

as funny as it sounded, lake was entirely serious. they had immense trauma from the police on the train, which jesse fully understood.

“here.” he said, reaching into his backpack. “try this.”

lake nodded, taking the book from his hand. the cover had two people, a girl and a boy, reaching for one another.

their eyes widened as they were reminded of the day jesse earned his exit, leaving them behind to die unintentionally. before they knew it, they were crying, gripping their hair.

jesse looked confused until he noticed the cover.

“oh my god.. lake.. i’m so sorry- i didn’t realize-“

“it’s okay.” they responded. “i just..”

“i’m sorry. i’m so sorry.. i never wanted to leave you behind.” jesse interrupted, his voice shaking. 

“jesse, i-“

“i shouldn’t have ever left you. i’m a terrible friend, i-“

“JESSE.”

he glanced up, surprised by the change of tone they had.

“it’s not your fault.” lake snapped, staring into his eyes. 

“but i-“

“shut up.” they flicked his forehead.

he rubbed his head, smiling. 

“it’s not your fault.” they repeated. “you tried taking me with you. you couldn’t have known what would happen. so stop blaming yourself, dammit.”

they both paused, then jesse laughed. 

“you know, it’s rare to see you so sincere, lay.” 

“really? frankly, i think i’m quite kind and sincere, 24/7.”

“debatable,” jesse teased. 

they both broke out laughing, the sound of boiling water filling the air. 

“hey dumbass, the water’s done boiling.” lake said, pointing to the stove.

“CRAP-“ jesse ran over and turned off the stove.

“pfft. idiot.”

“it’s your fault for distracting me.” he retorted.

“distracting you, eh?” they teased. 

“n-not like that!!” jesse insisted. 

“right. the water is spilling.”

jesse cried out, frantically cleaning his mess. 

“what did i say? idiot.”

“fine. maybe.”

“glad we’re on the same page.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> feel the need to mention that lake has autism in this story, and they often repress their emotions and feel like vulnerability is a weakness. sorry if that seems OOC!!

-  
jesse finished preparing lake’s meal, taking unnecessary measures to try not to spill the water again.

“here. this was all i could find that i thought you’d like, so...”

they glanced down at the bowl of ramen in front of them. jesse waited for their reaction to the taste with anticipation.

pausing, lake picked the fork up and took a bite. they jumped back immediately.

“is it that bad?” jesse gasped, putting a hand on their back.

“no-“ lake coughed, “it’s just.. really hot.”

“oh-“ jesse laughed in embarrassment. “i should’ve warned you. sorry.”

instead of answering, lake flicked his forehead.

“you know.. we should really work on that habit..” jesse grumbled, rubbing his forehead. a dent was beginning to form.

lake glanced at the dent and their eyes widened, sympathetic.

“i’m sorry. it was funny at first but.. aughhh, i’m just really impulsive lately..”

“you were restless all week. maybe you need a break.”

“getting off the train is a break enough for me.” they responded. 

“but you’ve hardly slept. not only that, but you haven’t left the house since getting here. maybe you need a change of scenery.”

“jesse..”

neither of them spoke for awhile. lake tapped their chin, thinking of a response.

“as luxurious as a break sounds, it’s not something i can exactly.. do. i’ll be judged for sure.”

“but who cares what others think? it’s not like you can change who you are.”

“i just... i mean, i don’t care. but i don’t know what’ll happen to me if people see me like this.”

“lake, trust me. if anyone says anything to you, i’ll beat them up.”

lake chucked, lightly slapping his arm.

“that’s a little far. but thanks.”

“nate’s asleep... we could go now, if you’re up for it..”

“eh. sure, why not.”

smiling, jesse grabbed his coat and slipped on his boots. 

lake snorted. he looked ridiculous. bright red shirt, dark blue pants, and a yellow jacket. his outfit was atrocious, though they decided against pointing it out.

“what’s so funny?” 

“nothing.” lake responded with a shrug, forcing themselves not to laugh.

-

it was freezing outside. snow began to fall from the light gray sky, paining the ground.

lake shivered, feeling a pang of regret for not wearing a jacket. 

“look.” jesse breathed, pausing.

lake raised an eyebrow, then faced what he was looking at.

it was the river. it was frozen, snow clinging to the border. 

jesse picked up speed, running towards it. 

“jesse, what are you-“

“lake! come down here!” he called, placing a foot on the ice. they followed him, nervously approaching the river. 

jesse stepped onto the ice, watching as it partially cracked beneath him.

“jesse, this is a bad idea-“ lake said, trembling as they followed jesse onto the ice.

“it’s okay.” he replied, reaching forwards to hold their hands in his own. “just.. look at me, okay?”

they nodded, slightly embarrassed to be this close to him. jesse began gliding across the river, tightly holding both of lake’s hands.

hours passed. lake forgot all about the cold. about the breaking ice. it was just them and jesse, it was like nobody else in the world mattered at that moment.

until the unexpected happened quicker than either of them could imagine. 

the ice beneath jesse’s feet began to crack. lake let go of his hand, trying to help him to move away, but jesse was frozen with fear. 

lake watch in horror as the ice broke, jesse crashing into the water along with it.

they lunged forward, crying out.

“JESSE!!! JESSE!!!”

come on.. i cant lose you again..

they peered into the river, and after awhile, they could see jesee’s figure sinking deeper and deeper.

without hesitation, lake dove into the river, reaching jesse and grabbing ahold of his hand. they lifted him out of the water, running to the grass before the ice completely broke.

jesse coughed, slowly regaining consciousness.

“lake..?”

“you idiot!” they cried, hugging him tightly. “i told you it was a bad idea.. thank god you’re alive.”

“heh.. worried about me?”

“well obviously!! but don’t push your luck.” 

jesse laughed. “we should.. probably get back home..”

“here.” lake replied, taking his hand. “just.. lean on me.” 

he did so, albeit awkwardly, and the two made their way back home.

-

as soon as the two arrived, nate dashed towards them both.

“jesse! i was so worried about you!”

“huh..? i just went on a walk with lake, nate.”

“but you didn’t respond to any of my texts. or even read them.”

“oh.. sorry. my phone’s busted.”

nate paused, stepping back.

“why are you both wet? are you alright?”

lake sighed, rubbing their temples. “jesse here thought it would be a fun idea to skate on the freshly frozen river.”

“well i- i was.. just trying to cheer you up. skating always used to make me happy when i was sad. i thought it’d help you, too.”

“look, that’s sweet. but you could’ve DIED, jesse. my happiness isn’t worth you risking your safety.”

he was about to respond, when lake stepped closer to him, their eyes beginning to water.

“promise me you’ll be more careful. i cant..” they wiped away a stray tear. “...i cant bare to lose you again.”

“..i promise.” jesse replied sincerely, and lake exhaled, trying to force their tears away.

but jesse’s warm smile was enough to break that force. 

as soon as the warm tears began making their way down their face, jesse approached them and opened his arms. lake fell into them, formerly reluctant, but had grown comforted by his hugs. 

“i’m sorry for worrying you.” he said silently, as if he were speaking to glass; that at any given moment, they could break if he were too loud.

“you better be.” they teased, making both of them laugh. 

by that point, nate had already left, leaving the two of them alone in the living room.

“hey, jesse.”

“what..?”

there was a pause.

“you need to shower. you smell like shit.”

jesse snorted, pulling away from the embrace. although he had to admit, they were right. with a wave, jesse headed upstairs.


	3. Chapter 3

-

soon enough, daylight gave way into nightfall. jesse had finished showering, and was now laying on the couch, lake close by.

nate was in his room, sleeping. jesse’s parents were gone for the day, supposedly returning the next day. 

the house was quiet. lake sighed, quietly waking towards the kitchen. they poured themselves a glass of water, returning to the living room shorty after. 

to their surprise, when they returned, jesse was awake.

“oh- jesse, i didn’t mean to wake you.”

no response.

“jesse?”

still no response. the only sound that could be heard was..

slicing. faint, but apparent.

it was coming from jesse.

dashing forward, they called again. “JESSE!”

this time, jesse turned to look at them. his eyes welled with tears, and he had a knife in hand. blood dripped down his arm.

lake didn’t know what to say. they stepped closer, taking the knife and hiding it.

then they paused, a question dwelling in the air.

why? why? why?

“lake, i’m.. i’m sorry.” he said at last, looking at them.

“don’t apologize, jesse. i’m just.. worried. if you don’t mind me asking.. is everything okay?”

there was a pause.

“i just.. i..”

“lake.. am i a bad person?”

lake inched closer to him. “no. not at all. jesse, you’ve made some mistakes. who hasn’t? but you aren’t a bad person. at all.”

“but.. i hurt nate.. and i left you behind, and..”

each word was stifled by tears.

lake did the only thing they could think of. carefully, they sat next to jesse, wrapping their arms around him in a silent attempt to calm him down.

it seemed to be working. though lake struggled immensely with intimacy, it felt nice to help their friend. 

jesse returned the hug, and the two sat there for what felt like hours. as far as they were concerned, it was.

“lake.. i’m sorry. you shouldn’t.. have to worry about me..” jesse choked, muddled by lake’s shirt.

“jesse, stop apologizing. i care about you- i worry about you- more than anything. and the last thing i want is for you to hurt yourself. you aren’t inconveniencing me.” they replied, sounding increasingly more soft and intimate than usual. but they didn’t care if this wasn’t how they usually acted- jesse was upset. and right now, he needed them.

“lake..?” jesse said at last, lifting his head.

“yes, jesse?”

“can you.. stay here with me.. just for the night?” his face flushed at the question.

“i-i mean..” lake took a deep breath. “..sure.”

they made an attempt to stand and grab a pillow and a blanket, in hopes to set up camp beside him. but jesse grabbed their hand in protest.

“oh you.. meant like.. beside you.”

“is.. that okay?”

lake smiled softly, resuming their place in his arms. “whatever you need, casanova.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> lake has a bad dream. jesse knows just what to do to cheer them up.  
> (this chapter is slightly shorter, but more in character).

-

lake awoke with a start, grabbing their hair and panting. jesse, who had claimed lake as his personal pillow sometime during the night, stirred slightly. his arms were wrapped around lake’s waist, holding onto them tightly. 

“mmph.. lake..?” jesse mumbled, slowly beginning to wake up. as he did, he noticed what he was doing, and pulled back in embarrassment. “a.. are you okay?” he stammered.

“i’m fine.. just.. a bad dream.” they replied, gripping their arm. 

“wanna talk about it?”

lake sighed, laying their head in jesse’s lap for comfort. he was extremely flustered, but gently began rubbing their shoulder to ease the tension in it. lake smiled contentedly. 

“i just.. dreamt about the train. that i was back on it... i was back at the mall car. it was the same thing as what happened.. you know, before, except.. this time, after you went through.. the flecs...” lake paused, the memory of the dream causing them to be visibly anxious. jesse removed his hand from their shoulder, moving it to lake’s hand. he intertwined their fingers, rubbing their thumb tenderly; as if to silently say that they didn’t need to finish the story if they didn’t want to. but they continued anyway, slowly.

“..the flecs.. got me. i could see grace and simon hovering over my remains with satisfied smirks.. and that’s the last thing i could see before i woke up.” 

“jeez, lake.. that’s an awful nightmare to have. i’m so sorry.” 

“i’ve had worse, honestly..” they admitted. “i guess this one just.. shook me more now that i’m off the train.”

jesse nodded, turning to them. 

“is there anything you need? i’m here for you, y’know.”

“i know.” lake replied, smiling. “i.. appreciate that. i think.. i just need to get out. clear my head a little.”

“oh! hey, it’s almost sunrise!” jesse exclaimed, jumping to his feet. 

“uh.. yeah?” lake replied, chuckling. “and?”

“let’s get dressed! i have a surprise for you.” he practically begged, his face bright with excitement. 

lake played along, whatever jesse was up to, he was clearly enthusiastic. lake liked it when he got like this- it happened often, but it always made them feel happy, too. although they never would’ve believed that if you’d told them that when the two had first met. 

once they were both dressed, jesse skipped out the door, lake close behind. they glanced down at jesse’s left hand to see a bag. 

“what did you bring?” they asked, clearly curious.

“it’s a surprise!” jesse responded, smiling mischievously. 

“you’re not planning to murder me, are you?” lake joked, albeit admittedly, it was a bad time to say such a thing. 

jesse laughed, shaking his head. “just wait, you’ll love it.” 

“you said that the last time. we ended up getting chased by wild geese. can i really trust you?”

“hey!! that was one time!” jesse poked back. “besides, it’s not like that’ll happen this time.”

“i’m sure.” 

jesse teasingly glared at them, then rested his face, staring at the sky. 

“anyway..” lake began, and jesse turned his attention back towards them. “uh.. how are you feeling?”

jesse glanced at his arm, wincing. “i.. i think i’m okay. i’m.. really sorry you had to see that.”

“jesse, if i hadn’t, i couldn’t have stopped you from doing anything worse. but just.. talk to me the next time you.. feel like doing that, okay?” lake pronounced.  
jesse nodded. “thank you.” 

not long after their serious conversation had ended, jesse announced that they had arrived at the destination he wanted to show them. 

lake was beyond confused. a tree? they couldn’t help but laugh.

“hold your horses, i promise it’s cool.” jesse grinned, walking towards the tree. he began to climb up, stopping on a small “dent” in the tree to help lake up. after climbing for awhile, the two reached the top. the sun was just beginning to fully rise, creating a beautiful golden glow to paint the earth. 

“wow..” lake breathed, looking around. 

“told you it was cool.” jesse replied, a matter of fact tone edging in his voice.

“cool isn’t even close.. this is beautiful.” lake argued, still mesmerized by the scenery, and the way it glowed in the sunlight. 

they sat there, mostly in silence, chatting occasionally, for a few hours before jesse said he had another surprise. lake climbed down the tree for about two seconds before jumping the rest of the way down.

“does... doesn’t that.. hurt?” jesse fretted, searching for any sign of injury. 

“i can’t feel physical pain, jesse.” lake replied, half sarcastic, half teasing. 

“so you feel like.. emotional pain?”

“i mean, yeah? i guess what you’d describe as physical pain just kinda.. jars me? i just get like.. shocked kinda. i guess.”

“huh. weird.” jesse examined lake, as if he were some sort of scientist. after a moment, though, he could tell lake was uncomfortable. so he backed away, resuming his place by their side.

lake didn’t seem bothered, and instead began reminiscing. “remember when i first met your parents?”

jesse laughed. “yeah, they really freaked out. it took them a whole week to adjust to you. my mom loves you now, though.”  
“heh.. don’t i kinda burden you, though? i mean.. i break a ton of stuff when i’m angry.” 

“those are just your emotions. it’s normal. i mean.. breaking a houseplant isn’t exactly normal for anger, but you get what i mean. we can always find a better coping strategy, you know.”

lake still didn’t believe him, but didn’t voice it. 

jesse could tell they still didn’t buy his sentiment, though. so he edged on. 

“remember that theater car?”

“the one where we had to sing and dance to open the door? yeah, i remember.” 

“you.. seemed to relax a lot when you danced. even if you did refuse to dance with me.”

lake snorted. “yeah, i didn’t want you stepping all over my feet while we slow danced. and besides, alan dracula was- dare i say, IS, a better dancer than you.” they teased.  
“excuse YOU, mx. lake, but i happen to be an excellent dancer. that marshmallow-looking gal even said i was an AMAZING dancer.” he shot back.

“oh wow, a marshmallow told you you’re a good dancer. i’m cowering in fear by your overwhelming power!” they taunted. 

“oh really? dance with me, and i’ll prove i’m a good dancer.”

“how do i know you won’t disappoint me, casanova?” lake challenged, stepping closer to him. 

“because i intend to prove you wrong.” 

jesse pulled lake closer to him, turning on his phone and playing music. the two had a messy dance battle, neither of them truly knew if they were actually dancing or not. finally, both of them ran out of breath, collapsing onto the ground below. 

“how was that?” jesse panted. 

“not bad.” lake replied, hardly as winded as him. “but you know what you didn’t prove?”

“what?”

“that you can slow dance well.”

jesse turned red, extremely surprised by lake’s sudden extreme confidence. 

“i.. i mean.. i didn’t think you wanted to do that.” he mumbled. 

“why not. prove it to me, cosay.” they practically demanded, helping him to his feet.  
jesse smirked, accepting the challenge. 

he put on a slow song, then positioned his hands around their waist, lake placing their hands on his shoulders. they began to waltz, until the song changed pace, causing jesse to grow confident. he still continued to slow dance, but slightly faster. he lifted lake in the air, earning a laugh out of them, then lowered them and gracefully dipped them. he continued to boldly dance, twirling lake and lifting them any chance he could get. finally, the song ended, both of them pulling apart on beat. it didn’t take either of them very long to start laughing, both extremely flustered.

“okay, okay. you proved yourself.” lake told him, earning a satisfied grin from jesse. 

“told you! and now that i have, shall i lead you to your next surprise?”

lake rolled their eyes with a smile. “i’d love nothing more, good sir.” they played back.


	5. Chapter 5

-  
jesse led lake to a shopping area, surrounded by people. it was spacious, giving jesse time to prompt a question he’d meant to ask a long time ago.

“hey lake, how come you didn’t know about certain genders and sexualities before you came here?”

lake paused, thinking of a decent response. “well... tulip never really bothered with that stuff. i’m sure she knew, but it never came up. i knew she liked girls, she mentioned that at one point, but she never said what that was called. and she never really bothered talking about gender... she identifies as a girl, i think that’s the most she’s said. but when i came here, that was one of the first things you told me. so.. why?”

“well, it’s important. i figured you’d wanna explore a lot, so i decided i’d explain the essential stuff. i didn’t want you to be confused about that stuff, either.”

“what do you mean by essential?”

“well, you never wanna assume someone’s gender or sexuality, so it’s best to know what to call someone if you don’t know. i think that’s pretty essential, don’t you?”

lake nodded, thinking back to when jesse had explained it all.

“i always wondered why i felt so disconnected to tulip. and why i hated being called a girl. tulip is a great person, and yet, i hated being her.” they had said. 

“so.. what are your pronouns?” 

“i.. think i’m.. non-binary.” lake had replied hesitantly, making sure they had worded it right. “i wanna be called they/them pronouns, i mean.”

jesse had smiled, nodding, and had begun to test the pronouns so that lake could feel more comfortable. 

lake was brought back to reality when jesse asked another question. 

“so.. was your name really M.T.?”

“no. i just.. let you call me that. i wanted to try a different name.”

“i see.” 

“i suppose you’re gonna ask what my name was?”

“i mean..” jesse paused. “i wanted to, but i didn’t wanna. you know. make you uncomfortable or.. dysmorphic.” 

“it’s fine.. i don’t mind telling you. it’s just.. i don’t like being called it.” 

jesse nodded.

“i.. named myself gambit. i can’t remember why, but it wasn’t something i liked being called. gambit.. is usually a risky tactic used to gain an advantage. i didn’t really want that to describe me.”

“that’s valid.. but why’d you let me call you M.T.? it just stands for mirror tulip, wouldn’t that make you feel.. i don’t know, more uncomfortable since it’s kinda.. categorizing you as a reflection?”

“yeah, i guess, but i couldn’t think of anything else. i guess i just wanted to explore new names. see what made me comfortable.”

“well, i’m happy i could help you with your growth then. if... i even did, anyway.”

lake shoved him gently. “of course you helped, you big goof!”

jesse laughed with them, then tried to continue the conversation.

“so.. did you name yourself lake because you liked how it sounded, or because you can look in water without having to be afraid of being.. you know.. killed?”

“the latter. i really enjoy water. i enjoy any kind of nature, really. but it felt nice to be able to look any myself without having to be scared.” 

“that makes sense. in any case.. i think the name lake really suits you.” 

“thanks.” lake replied, one of the few compliments they were willing to accept. “i.. like the way it sounds.”

“i’m glad. and you know.. if you ever wanna try out different names, i’m always here to help! i can use it in a sentence too, if it helps.” he offered, every word full of sincerity. 

lake simply nodded, not wanting to say ‘thanks’ yet again. the conversation sparked another memory, from after jesse had finished explaining sexuality. the same memory kept replaying, detain enhancing every time. the memory picked up from where it had left off.

after jesse had finished testing the pronouns, lake spoke up. 

“i like the way the pronouns sound.. and feel, but.. i don’t think i wanna make an executive decision yet... can you try out different pronouns on me?”

jesse had agreed without hesitation. he started with she/her, then continued onwards.

“have you met my best friend, lake, she’s the coolest person i’ve ever met. she’s super tough, funny, and sweet once you get to know her.” 

lake had grinned at the sentence itself, it was super sweet and sappy. but jesse could tell the pronouns didn’t sit with them, so he continued.

“lake is the best. he’s always willing to listen to what i have to say, and he likes to help my mom around the house. i’m very lucky to have him as a friend.” 

when that didn’t sit, either, he ended with,

“lake is one of the most important people in my life. they make me smile, laugh, and we even cry together. i never would’ve been able to get off the train without them, and i’m so happy they found a way to escape with me. i cant say i owe them everything, because to me, they are everything. but i do owe them my life, and so much more.” 

instead of responding, lake had pulled jesse into the tightest hug they possibly could. 

“thank you...” they’d mumbled, holding him tightly. 

“you’re welcome.” he’d replied, happy they were satisfied with his sentences. “and you don’t have to decide what you wanna identify as right now, you know. i’m here for you, as long as you need.”

jesse’s hand on their shoulder brought them back to the present, and they turned to face him. 

“there you are! you spaced out for awhile there. everything okay?”

“yeah, yeah. just.. thinking. y’know.. reminiscing, i guess.”

jesse hummed in response. 

“sorry to interrupt, but we’re here~!” he sung, leading them inside a pet store that had big, bold leaders above the entrance. 

“THE WET NOSE: PETS AND GROOMING” it read. as silly as the name was, the place itself was beautiful. lake glanced at jesse, who had pulled out the mysterious bag he brought. inside was a bag full of money, and what they assumed to be tickets. before lake could ask what the tickets were for, he began walking towards the register at the front of the store. a woman stood there, smiling widely. 

“jesse! welcome back!” she exclaimed.

“hi, allison! my friend and i wanted to take a look at the dogs, if that’s okay.” 

“of course! i’m curious though, who’s this friend of yours? i’ve never seen them around before!”

the correct use of pronouns made lake smile. 

“this is lake! we escaped the train together. they helped me, actually!” 

“nice to meet you.”

“you as well, dear! i hope you don’t mind me asking, but is your skin metallic? i’ve never seen anything like it!”

“oh.. yeah. i’m a reflection. or.. i was, anyway. of uh.. this girl named tulip. but i didn’t like being her. so i had her help me escape the mirror world. it did come with a few.. setbacks, though.”

“ah, the police jesse’s parents mentioned, i presume? they didn’t specify what kind of police, but that’s my guess.”

“right.. they’re known as the flecs. they chased me down, and tried to kill me. until i met jesse, who helped me to escape them. after awhile, anyway.”

“yeah.. sorry for calling you a criminal. those flecs were really good at convincing people.”

“it’s okay. it’s my fault for not telling you my side of the story earlier. at the time i just.. didn’t know if i could trust you.” 

allison looked slightly confused, but spoke anyway. 

“well, thank you for humoring me. sorry to keep you, but i can’t help but find you fascinating, lake. if you don’t mind, could you come back and answer some more questions for me? see, i used to be a researcher for all kinds of paranormal activity and such, and while you aren’t exactly paranormal, you aren’t something i see on the regular, and that itself entices me. we can chat over tea and cookies, if you like.”

“uh.. sure?” 

“wonderful!” allison clapped. “i’ll see you then!” 

lake nodded, wanting to walk away. but before they could, jesse asked,

“hey allison, would you mind telling take your pronouns?”

“of course! my pronouns are star/stars!” star replied. lake nodded in understanding, then walked away. jesse followed.

“hey, how come you seem so.. uncomfortable around allison?”

“i.. don’t trust star.” 

“but why not? allison just wanted to get to know you.”

“i feel like.. star’s gonna sell me out? like.. i don’t know.”

“but why would star do that? i think allison’s just.. invested in you. cant really blame star.”

lake blushed, looking away. 

“i.. i mean... because you’re made of metal.. and stuff.” 

“right.” lake replied, doubtful. without another word, the two walked towards the cages containing the dogs. a girl stood behind the glass, petting one of them.

the dog she was petting was fluffy and dark brown. it’s green eyes were bright, staring at lake innocently.

they couldn’t help but smile. 

jesse noticed this, then prompted, “wanna take that one out?”

lake was visibly confused, so jesse pointed to the area with small rooms close beside them. 

“oh... sure?” admittedly, lake hadn’t held a dog before. they’ve seen one, obviously, tulip traveled with atticus, but that was really it. tulip didn’t have time for animals too often. 

jesse nodded, then walked back over to the front register. 

“mind if we take a dog out for a little, allison?”

“of course!!” star replied, then added, “do you have a ticket?”

“sure do!” jesse handed star a ticket from his bag, then walked off. the girl behind the glass glanced up at the pair, jesse gave her a signal that they’d already given allison a ticket, and she gingerly handed the dog to jesse. he walked towards the small room. 

“so that’s what the tickets are for? that’s stupid.” 

jesse awkwardly laughed. “yeah. it’s so that the workers know a dog’s been taken out to be pet or played with. the tickets are blank, so they’re able to write the names of the dogs on them when they’re taken out.”

“kinda a shitty way of doing it, but whatever.” 

jesse shrugged, opening the door and allowing lake to come with him. he set the puppy down, giving it some room to roam free. 

instead, it whined, looking at lake curiously. lake let out a worried cry.

“aaaah- jesse help- what does it want-“ they asked frantically, clearly inexperienced with puppies. 

“i don’t know.. maybe it wants you?”

“HOW THE HELL DO I GIVE MYSELF TO THE DOG??!! DO I LAY WITH IT??” they yelled, exasperated. 

the dog whimpered, frightened by their outburst. 

they sighed, picking up the dog gently. 

“sorry, little guy.. i have major anger issues.” they muttered, stroking his head. 

jesse let out a small chuckle. 

“what?”

“nothing.. it’s just.. he cant understand you,” he replied innocently, motioning towards the puppy.

“he can’t? but atticus could speak english. and understood it well. are you sure you know how dogs work?”

jesse closed his eyes, almost overwhelmed by how cute he found lake in that moment. he laughed once more.

“i’m sure i do, actually. atticus was tulip’s friend on the train, right? from that dog car you mentioned?”

lake nodded.

“see, dogs can’t talk. only on the train. here, they bark. dogs can learn commands, but they can’t understand when you talk to  
them.”

“that doesn’t make any sense. i thought all dogs were like atticus?”

“did tulip really never interact with dogs?”

“tulip hardly got out as it was.” lake griped. “she was always in her room, coding. making her stupid game. she hardly ever hung out with her best friend.”

“yikes.. are you still upset with her?”

lake sighed. “no.. i guess not. i mean, she helped me escape. i wouldn’t be here without her. i guess i owe her that.” 

“true.. maybe it’s time you apologized?”

“yeah.. maybe.” lake agreed, setting the dog down on the ground. it didn’t seem to mind, and instead, began to chew on their laces.

“h-hey!” lake giggled, moving him aside. “those are my shoelaces, you goof!” the dog ignored them, and continued to pull harder, growling playfully. the force caused lake to fall, their shoe flying off their foot, the dog barked in triumph, chewing the laces with glee. once they decided that they’d had enough of that, however, they began to bite at lake’s sock.

the one with the mirror on their leg. lake gasped, moving the dog away fearfully.

however, he didn’t get the memo, and continued to pull. lake’s sock came off, to their dismay, in one tug.

jesse glanced down and saw the pocketknife attached to their leg. 

lake gasped, covering it. 

“hey, it’s okay. you don’t need to hide anything from me.” jesse soothed, joining them on the floor. the puppy took the conviction that he’d messed up, and whimpered, laying beside lake. 

“it’s just.. i.. i’ve never shown anyone this.” they stammered.

“how come..?”

“i don’t like seeing it. it’s just another painful reminder that i’m.. nothing more than a reflection.”

jesse seemed to disagree, but instead asked, “..what is it, exactly?”

“a pocketknife. well, part of one. tulip gave it to me so i could create my own reflection. it allowed me to escape the mirror car. without it, i’d still be trapped. so this stupid junk is attached to me forever.”  
“even off the train, you can’t take it off, huh?”

“no. it’s attached to me. i can move it around, but..” they demonstrated, attempting to rip it off. it failed, sticking to  
them.

“and that doesn’t.. hurt?”

“no. i cant feel pain, remember?”

“right.. well, i guess it’s good she had that on her then, eh?”

“yeah...” they replied, guiltily. “i feel bad.. i wish i could apologize.”

“for being so rude to her?”

they nodded. 

“would she even forgive me...? i was such an ass.. i don’t even think i deserve it..”

“hey. when we first met, you were an ass to me,” he began, lake blinking in surprise when he ‘swore’. “...but look at us now! i forgave you, and i understood why you acted the way you did.”

“that doesn’t really help.” they laughed. “but thanks. i guess i can try.” 

“that’s the spirit! but it’s getting late.. we’d better take this little guy back.” jesse picked him up, despite the dog whining in protest. he handed him to the lady, who smiled in response. the pair left the store, waving to allison, who waved back. 

snow had begun to fall, another painful reminder that it was winter. tulip loved winter, so it made sense why lake didn’t enjoy it. it was kind of irritating though. they wanted to enjoy winter, not oppose it just because tulip liked it. 

this caused lake to realize that it was almost christmas, a holiday in which tulip didn’t celebrate nor enjoy. they didn’t know the first thing about it, admittedly. 

“hey, look at that! i can just smell christmas coming soon.. the snow is like, the perfect sign.” jesse said, as if to echo their thoughts.

“right..” lake replied awkwardly.

“hey, i just realized! it’s your first christmas in arizona! we have to make it extra special.”

lake smiled, embarrassed. “you know i’ve.. never really celebrated christmas all that much..” 

“WHAT?!” jesse cried. “this is a disaster!”

“don’t be so dramatic, doofus.” lake snorted. “it’s just that.. tulip never really got to celebrate it with both of her parents, so she hated it. the only time i can remember her celebrating it was when she was younger. instead of spending time with her mom or dad on christmas, she stayed in her room.. eating onions and coding as if it wasn’t even a holiday.” “well, don’t you worry, lay-lay! we’ll make your first christmas in arizona one you’ll NEVER forget!” he exclaimed, throwing his arm over their back, his hand dangling over their shoulder, just like in the parasite car. 

lake snickered. “really? lay-lay?” they tried to hide how much they liked the nickname.

“yeah! i just uh.. thought it was a cute nickname.” he was beyond embarrassed.

“it is, it is. it’s very.. you.” lake insisted. “i...like the nickname.” they added, a blush painting their cheeks. 

they had returned home within that moment, any further conversation left scattered in the cold wind. jesse removed his hand from lake’s back, instead using it to wave to his mother. whittney waved back, smiling.

“there you two are! did you have fun?”

“we did.” lake replied, nodding. 

“that’s wonderful. by the way, jesse, nate wanted to talk to you.”

“where is he?”

“in his room! lake, you can go with him, if you’d like.”

they nodded, following jesse to his brother’s room. they found him on the floor, watching tv on his ipad. 

“nate?” jesse called, and he turned around. 

“hi jesse! and lake!” he answered, patting the seat beside him. they sat down, both curious as to what nate had to ask.

“so.. what’s up?”

“nothing much. just...” he motioned to both of them, “are you two dating?”

lake practically did a double take.

“wh-what on earth gave you THAT idea?” jesse exclaimed, blushing so hard he thought he’d explode. 

“well, i caught you two cuddling in your sleep last night, and you’re really close.. like almost... unusually?” 

“w.. we’re just friends, nate.. jesse was upset, so i was comforting him..” lake tried to convice him. nate seemed doubtful. 

“if you say so.” he shrugged. they sighed in relief. 

before nate could press further, a knock sounded on the door. the pair sprinted up, checking to see who it was; relieved to escape the awkward conversation. 

they were both beyond shocked at what they saw. grace stood at the door, looking shy and guilty. slowly, jesse opened the door, holding lake’s hand in case they did anything rash. 

“grace?? what... how...” jesse sputtered the moment she came inside. 

“nice to see you too, jesse. and... chrome girl..? what the.. how are you...??”

lake glared. “first of all, it’s LAKE. and i’m not a girl, i’m non-binary. second of all, what are you doing here?! i can’t believe you’d even  
dare to show your face here again after the shitty things you did!!” 

“i came to apologize.” she replied defensively. “i didn’t even expect you to be here.. how on earth did you escape?” 

“why does it matter to you?” they snapped. 

“lake,” jesse whispered. “calm down. it’s okay.”

they let out a little “pff”, turning away. 

“they reflected my number.” jesse answered for them. “then one-one let them come with me, since they had a number.” 

“wow.” grace gasped in disbelief. “the first denizen to get a number. i don’t believe it.” 

“yep.. they’re pretty amazing.” jesse smiled, glancing at lake, who only looked at him for a moment before glancing away, still upset. 

“so.. you’re adopted siblings then, right?”

“no, lake simply didn’t have a place to stay, so we allowed them to stay with us. we’re just friends.”

“i...see. jesse.. i’m sorry. i’m sorry for trying to manipulate you, i’m sorry for trying to kill your friend, i’m sorry. for everything. i know sorry doesn’t make up for what i’ve done, but i hope you at least understand that i’m trying to change.”

“...of course. i mean, if you got off the train, that must mean you did something right.” 

lake glanced at him, visibly angry by his words. 

“thanks, jesse. and i’m sorry for what simon did, too.” 

“wait.. where is simon?” jesse asked, glancing behind her. she winced, and jesse could tell he’d mistakingly struck a nerve.

“he’s..” she hesitated. “he’s dead. a ghom killed him.”

jesse’s eyes widened. “i’m.. so sorry. i can’t even imagine how badly that must’ve hurt you.. you two seemed so close.”

“it was a long time ago, but yeah, it still hurts.” lake rolled their eyes, as if to say they didn’t care. 

grace sighed, stepping back. “well, i’d better get going! i have some stuff to do. see you.” she said hurriedly, leaving the house.

jesse turned to lake. “what was that all about?” he asked, his tone seemed mildly angry. 

lake, however, looked furious. “how could you just FORGET everything she’s done to us??! TO ME?? who cares if she’s off the train, jesse! she tried to KILL ME! and you don’t even seem to care about all that!” 

“lake, of course i haven’t forgotten what she did! but she’s off the train, and she came to apologize. that has to mean she’s trying! i can’t ignore her efforts.”

“but you can ignore me? and why i’m upset?”

“lake-“

“just..” they lowered their eyebrows, brushing past him. “leave me alone. i need space.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow!! i didn’t expect to make this fic so long, my god. thank you all so much for the support, and i hope you enjoy the final chapter!!! thanks for sticking around.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> chapter cw:
> 
> transphobia

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> time skip! it’s now summer again! there will be some flashbacks to lake’s christmas, but they’re brief. also allison and lake did end up meeting and talking! i was just too lazy to write it, lmao.

-  
lake let out a heavy sigh, kicking their feet back as they stared at the river. it was summer. almost a year off the train, and almost 7 months of ignoring their best friend.

right before christmas, they’d gotten in a huge fight over grace. since then, they’d been ignoring one another, eating dinner at separate times, sleeping alone, not even exchanging words. to fill the hole in their chest, lake kept busy during the day. they went out on walks, mostly in the woods or in nature. meanwhile, jesse was busy with his exams, which gave lake plenty of time alone.

both of them had tried to apologize to one another, but it just led to another fight. they’d never had such a big argument before, and, lake realized, this was one of the first times they’d been alone so often after escaping. 

luckily, they’d already celebrated jesse’s birthday before their fight. this made him 16, lake now being 15. 

lake sighed, staring at the sky. they thought about christmas. how upsetting it was.

nate had woken lake up that morning, saying that they were opening presents. lake had gotten changed slowly, nervous to see jesse. 

christmas came a week after their fight. lake entered the living room awkwardly, greeted by jesse’s mom.

“hello, lake! good morning.” she said, waving. “good morning.” they replied, glancing at jesse, who stared at them wordlessly. as expected. 

the family, and lake, had opened presents in silence. tension had filled the room like smoke. 

lake came back to reality, skipping stones in the water. nate had joined them, which they realized only then.

“oh, hey.” they said, “how long have you been here? i zoned out.”

“i just got here.” he reassured them, sitting down. “what’s up?”

“nothing much.” they replied, continuing to skip stones.

“you and jesse still aren’t talking? it’s been 7 months.” he said, causing lake to lean back, exhaling deeply.

“i know. we’ve tried, but it all ends in another fight. i’ve never.. i mean, we’ve never had a fight like this. it’s been rough.” they replied, rocking back and forth.

“yeah, i get that. but don’t you think it’s been long enough? hasn’t it blown over?”

“neither of us have really... apologized yet, but yeah, i guess i’m over it..” they muttered, fidgeting awkwardly.

“great. hey, jesse! c’mere!” lake raised an eyebrow, but sighed when jesse appeared from behind a tree. nate swung his arms as he stood up.

“i’ll leave you to it. bye!” he ran off, pretending to leave, despite the fact that both of them knew he was just hiding in a nearby bush to listen. 

“hey..” jesse began awkwardly, sitting down beside them where nate was, previously. 

“...hey.” the tension was immeasurable. it was awkward. uncomfortable. lake wanted nothing more than to escape.

“listen...” he continued. “it’s been awful not talking to you for 7 months. i hate it. i hate being mad at you. it’s like a constant weight on my chest.” 

lake listened, but pretended they weren’t. he went on, anyway. 

“i’m sorry. i never meant to make you feel like grace was more important, or that i trusted her over you. believe me, i still don’t like her. but lake, she showed signs of change. she’s in pain, just like you are. she lost her best friend. and.. her escaping the train at least proves that she has some good in her. of course i don’t forgive her for what she tried to do, but i acknowledge what she’s trying to do.”  
lake looked at him, finally, ready to tear up. “jesse i... i’m sorry.” they said silently. “i shouldn’t have been so dramatic.. so harsh... it’s just... i’m scared.”

jesse’s gaze softened, and he moved closer. “about what?”

“that... you’ll side with people who tried to hurt me.. or want to.. and...” they were crying now. 

“lake. i’d never do that. i promise,  
i’ll never let anyone hurt you. you’re my best friend. you’re everything to me.” he said earnestly. 

“i...” they didn’t know what to say. instead, jesse pulled them into a hug, letting them cry into his shoulder. 

“it just... it felt like you left me again when you agreed with grace.. even after what she’s done and i...” lake choked out, jesse rubbing their back as they cried.

“it’s okay. i didn’t leave you again. and i never will.” he whispered, tenderly. 

“promise...?” they lifted their head, tears still falling onto jesse’s lap.

“i promise.” he said with a nod, smiling. 

lake sighed shakily, pulling away and crossing their legs. “i.. really missed you.” they admitted, embarrassed to say it out loud.

“i missed you, too.” jesse replied, audibly relieved. 

“my plan worked!” nate cheered, emerging from the bushes. lake rose to their feet, walking over to him.

“yes nate, your plan worked.” they praised, giving him a noogie. 

the three of them began their walk home, when suddenly, jesse stopped. 

“what’s up?” his brother voiced, titling his head. 

“i just had an idea.” he replied, deep in thought. “hey lake, mind coming with me?”

“depends.. where are you taking me?”

“you’ll see.” he winked. “it’s a surprise.”

lake couldn’t help but smile. they’d missed this. the surprises. jesse pulling them along on one of his random outings. 

“oh, alright.” they said at last, jesse pulling them along in turn. nate began to walk back home, waving to them.

“tell mom i’ll be home before supper!” jesse called to him. nate nodded, watching as they disappeared. jesse pulled lake along until finally, he released them. 

they looked around. he’d led them to a park. dimly lit, glowing lights flying around everywhere. 

“wow,” they whispered, looking around. as lake explored more, the glowing lights weren’t lights, they realized. they were fireflies. 

the fireflies surrounded them, making them laugh joyfully. 

jesse smiled, realizing how much he’d missed their laugh. he jogged up to them, and remarked,

“look at that! they really like you, don’t they?”

“i guess, yeah.” they replied inbetween laughs, the fireflies tickling their skin. 

jesse took a few seconds to admire lake. their skin was gleaming in the moonlight, the fireflies reflecting off them, making them glow. their eyes shone with happiness, and their hair shone almost as brightly as their skin. jesse wasn’t aware of it, but he’d walked closer to them, bringing their faces inches apart.

lake blushed, glancing at him. 

“s..sorry.” jesse muttered. his eyes traveled to their lips, then back to their face. lake lifted an eyebrow, a smirk on their face. 

jesse raised his eyebrows in shock, ready to step back. “i uh.. shouldn’t have.. i just..”

“shut up.”

“w...huh?” heart pounding, lake drew closer. 

“shut up.” they repeated, closing the gap between them. 

the kiss was messy. neither of them knew how to kiss, and it showed. but it didn’t matter. 

when they pulled away, they were both beet red. 

“i didn’t.. know you.. i mean..” jesse stammered, still red. 

“yeah.” lake said, not even needing to know what he was going to say. it was almost like it was unspoken, like only they knew what he meant. “i do.”

jesse’s face lit up. “i.. do too,” he smiled, eyes wide with excitement. 

“jesse, i know.” lake laughed. “we literally just kissed.”

“i know, i know, i just.. you have no idea how long i’ve wanted to do that,” he breathed, still in shock.

“you’ve only known me for a little over a year, you know.”

“i know. but i wanna get to know you more. and i wanna... spend time with you. as much as i can.” he rambled. 

instead of answering, lake began to stim. they hadn’t done it in ages. they finally stimmed. jesse joined them, and eventually, they collapsed onto the grass, laughing.

“man,” lake sighed. “that felt great.”

“it’s really.. nice to see you being yourself again.” jesse replied, grinning. 

“thanks to you, ya goof.” they said, booping him on the nose. he laughed. 

they both laid in silence for awhile, listening to the sound of crickets and birds contently. 

and then, as if a cloud came over them, their moment was ruined. jesse’s ex friend, troy, hovered over them. he’d been ignoring them both since they’d came back, only sneering at them from afar. 

“hey softie.” he snickered, forcing jesse to his feet. “how’s your little chrome girlfriend?”

“they’re not my girlfriend. they’re my significant other.” 

“yeah, whatever. kinda weird though, ain’t she?” troy ignored him. “made of metal and whatnot. you left us for a piece of polished silver? kinda pathetic, dude.”

“it’s they. i’m non-binary.” lake responded defensively. 

“no, you’re a freak.” he pushed them to the ground. “i could shred you to pieces. you’re nothing but a stupid hunk of metal. and you think you’re special. i ain’t calling you ‘they.’ you aren’t quirky, chrome girl.”

“hey, dude. lay off.” jesse snapped, standing in front of them. 

“you’re really defending her? and for what? y’all locked lips once and you think she’s worth defending. you really have gone soft.”

“who cares if i’m soft? at least i’m not some transphobic bully who pressures his friend into hurting his brother. at least i have common decency.”  
“who the hell cares? move aside, let me take care of the hunk of silver. then we can go back to the way it used to be! no wackass metal girl, no soft jesse holding us back. we can be pranksters again! right before you disappeared, you wanted to graffiti my ex’s house. don’t you still wanna? come on! leave the polished silver behind and come back to us, jesse!”

he glared. “stop calling them that. i’m never joining your gang again. you made me hurt nate. you’re bullies.” he helped lake up, walking off with them. “now go find someone else to bother.”

troy didn’t move, he just glared. “fine.” he grumbled. “your loss.”

the pair took off, running back home as fast as they could, hand in hand. when they got back, the cosays were already seated at the table, talking.

they all glanced up at them.

“lake! jesse! welcome home. have a seat!” whittney smiled. “and i see you two made up! that’s wonderful.”

they both looked at one another. “you could say that.” jesse whispered. not quiet enough for his mother not to hear, however. she simply gave him a knowing look. 

the two sat down, joining the conversation. 

lake was beyond happy to be where they were. the cosays definitely weren’t ready to hear the news yet, but they didn’t care. 

they were just happy to be there with them. with jesse. 

and they wouldn’t have it any other way.


End file.
